Bride charges 'no-show' fee after wedding guest cancels

The Aussie woman said 10 guests pulled out of her interstate wedding with only a few days' notice. Now, she thinks they should cover the cost of their seats.

Imagine meticulously planning your dream wedding, only to have a curveball thrown at you just days before the event. 

That's exactly what happened to one Australian bride, who had 10 guests pull out at the last minute to her interstate wedding. 

She's now wondering if she should charge them a 'no-show' fee, considering they RSVP'd over six months ago and payments to the venue are non-refundable. 

The bride shared her dilemma on the podcast She's on the Money, and inadvertently sent the internet into a spin.

So, is this too harsh? Or is it acceptable?

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Image: IStock / She's on the Money

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The guests cited it's too expensive to travel interstate

"It’s now one week out from the wedding and I have already given the confirmed numbers to the venue and paid the outstanding amount, which was $18,600," the bride told the podcast.

"Within the last week, ten guests, who had previously RSVP’d, said that they were coming and have now cancelled citing that it's too expensive for them to travel interstate," she continued.

The woman then said that she was "scrambling to cover their seats" because otherwise, she would essentially be forfeiting $2000. 

"Is it reasonable to request that they cover these costs themselves?" she added.

The woman also explained that guests were provided a 'Save the Date' one and a half years ago and sent formal invitations in January this year, with most guests RSVP'ing by July.  

"So sorry, I know we RSVP’d yes and the wedding is next week but we just can’t afford to travel interstate at the moment," a text message read from one of the guests. 

"Hope you understand, would love to have been there."

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"The guest is 100% at fault here"

The listeners of the podcast were quick to take sides, with opinions ending up being split down the middle.

51% of listeners said the guests should pay for their late cancellation, while 49% said the bride should suck it up. 

"No one books flights for an interstate wedding the week prior. The guest is 100% at fault here and is not a nice friend for doing this," one listener weighed in. 

Another echoed this sentiment, and added: "In this circumstance, the guest/s absolutely would have known and should reimburse the couple."

"Given they said YES in July – they had almost six months to ensure they could save for it. Very disappointing they committed to coming but then didn’t plan to be able to afford it," a third remarked. 

Then a fourth made an interesting point: "Any other investment other than relationships has cancellation policies lol, so it makes sense to me that you owe the couple money or at least it would be the right thing to do… if you cancel late.

"Makes inviting them seem like a transaction"

Others argued that it would be inappropriate of the bride to ask for money from her guests.

One said, "If you can’t afford to cover the cost then have a cheaper wedding."

Another former bride said, "No-shows are commonplace. Work it into your wedding budget."

"This is the bride and groom’s event so it’s up to them to cover the cost and NOT the people they chose to invite," another person replied. 

Then finally, someone noted, "It feels weird to *ask* someone to cover the seat. Makes even inviting them seem like a transaction. It's not a paid ticketed event, it's a hosted event."

Originally published as Bride charges 'no-show' fee after wedding guest cancels